Issue 4 : Introducing Fionnuala

Hi, I’m FIonnuala, and I’m Irish. We don’t all have red hair but in my case, I do! In and out of SL! Ella’s blog is UK based, but there are close ties between our two island homes, and apparently SLN has a healthy Irish readership, showing that Irish folk are both into SL and their naturism. And all this despite a backdrop of being the only European country, apparently, not to have a single officially designated naturist beach.

Of course, there are -in the time honoured traditions of Ireland- semi-official ones. When it boils down to it, the Garda, the Irish police, could choose to arrest you for being nude on a beach, but turn a blind eye or ignore the matter. We also have the spectre (and I use that word in the full knowledge of what I’m saying) about a still overbearing, interfering church attempting to mould the people to their own patriarchal, sexless (or not, read up about any number of priest sex scandals) version of life.

Take it from me, I’ve no time for organised religion, despite growing up in a fairly strict Catholic family. And so I think that my, ah, trenchant views on naturism, Ireland, and an increasing interest for naturism amongst Irish people may impact just a little bit in my posts 🙂

Below, I’m checking out a pint of Guinness, and showing off my red hair. But that’s the beginning and the end of Irish cliches. One thing that irritates me in SL is the Irish caricatures. Sure, most are affectionate, but they’re still caricatures. I don’t drink alcohol, and I’ve no time for Guinness at all, as it tastes vile. I don’t do jigs, say things like ‘begorrah’ and I log out of SL for the days leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, as all of that false jollity and the need for a ‘hoolie’ is simply annoying.

I’ve also got no time at all for Americans who claim to be Irish. They aren’t. They’re American, and the surname ‘O’Donohue’ or ‘O’Keefe’ or ‘Keogh’ doesn’t make you Irish. It just makes you someone who might have had roots in Ireland. On the same basis, that makes me Ethiopian, since we all originally sprang from the Horn of Africa. So please, get over yourselves pretending to be Irish. I’ve already been in several arguments with Americans, born in America of American parentage and grand-parentage, about their non-Irish credentials. I’ve even managed to get myself barred from one ‘Irish’ bar! 🙂

The problem there was that some Americans started giving me the history of my island, as filtered through some idiotic romantic vision of the place with no basis in fact. Oh, and by the way, St. Patrick was actually Welsh, lol!. I’m afraid the truth, the actual truth, doesn’t play well with some people in SL. I don’t care, I make no apologies for being who I am.

I’ll be back with more reports, and fights, probably, in forthcoming issues of SLN. See you soon.